[Gutenberg 45229] • Mesopotamian Archaeology / An introduction to the archaeology of Mesopotamia and Assyria

In every department of science the theories of yesterday are perpetually being displaced by the empirical facts of to-day, though the ascertainment of these facts is frequently the indirect outcome of the theories which the facts themselves dissipate. Hence it is that the works of the greatest scholars and experts have no finality, they are but stepping-stones towards the goal of perfect knowledge. Since the publications of Layard, Rawlinson, Botta and Place much new material has been made accessible for the reconstruction of the historic past of the Babylonians and Assyrians, and we are consequently able to fill in many gaps in the picture so admirably, and as far as it went, so faithfully drawn by the pioneers in the field of excavation and research. This work, which owes its origin to a suggestion made by Dr. Wallis Budge, represents an endeavour on the part of the writer to give a brief account of the civilization of ancient Babylonia and Assyria in the light of this new material.

It is hoped that the infinitude of activities and pursuits which go to make up the civilization of any country will justify the writer’s treatment of so many subjects in a single volume. It will be observed that space allotted to the consideration of the different arts and crafts varies on the one hand according to the relative importance of the part each played in the life of the people, and on the other hand according to the amount of material available for the study of the particular subject.

No effort has been spared to make the chapters on Architecture, Sculpture and Metallurgy as comprehensive as the limitations of the volume permit, while for the sake of those who desire to pursue the study of any of the subjects dealt with in this book, and to work up the sketch into a picture, a short bibliography is given at the end.

It has not been thought desirable to amass a vast number of references in the footnotes, and the writer is thereby debarred from acknowledging his indebtedness to the works of other writers on all occasions as he would like to have done.

In addition to the chapters which deal expressly with the cultural evolution of the dwellers in Mesopotamia, two chapters are devoted to the consideration of the Cuneiform writing—its pictorial origin, the history of its decipherment, and the literature of which it is the vehicle, while another chapter is occupied with a historical review of the excavations. The short chronological summary at the end obviously makes not the slightest pretension to even being a comprehensive summary; it merely purports to give the general chronological order of some of the better known rulers and kings of Babylonia and Assyria to whom allusion is made in this volume, together with a notice of some of the more significant land-marks in the history of the two countries.

CONTENTS

Introduction

(a) Land and People

(b) Sketch of Babylonian and Assyrian History

Excavations

Decipherment of the Cuneiform Inscriptions

Cuneiform Inscriptions

Architecture

MORTAR, STONE, WOOD, METAL, TEMPLES, PALACES, PRIVATE HOUSES, THE COLUMN, THE ARCH

Sculpture

Metallurgy

Painting

Cylinder-Seals

Shell-Engraving and Ivory-work

Terra-cotta Figures and Reliefs

Stoneware and Pottery

Dress, Military Accoutrements, etc.

Life, Manners, Customs, Law, Religion

Short Bibliography

List of the more important Kings and Rulers and a Brief Chronological Summary

Index

ILLUSTRATIONS

Coloured Lion at Khorsabad

Kouyunjik and Nebi Yûnus (two views)

Nimrûd (Calah)

Khorsabad

Excavations at Nimrûd (Calah) in Ashur-naṣir-pal’s Palace

“Fish-God,” and Entrance Passage, Kouyunjik

Doorway at Tellô, erected by Gu